Self-lubricating hub-bearing.



No. 703,5ol. l Patented July'l, |902.` T. TmsTLEwoon.-

` SELF LUBIKICATING'HUB BEARING.

(Application'led Sept. 7,A 1901.)

:{No Model.)

UNITE-D STATES PATENT OFFCE.

THEODORE THISTLEWOOD, OF HARRINGTON, DELAWARE.

lSELF-LUBRICATING HUB-BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'latent No. 703,501, dated July 1,1902. Appia-ion ined september 7. 14901. y serial ne. 74.650. (Nomodel.)

T0 til 1071/0711; it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, THEoDoR'E THIsTLE- WOOD, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Harrington, in the county of Kent andState of Delaware, have inventedf certain new and useful Improvements inSelf- Lubricating Hub-Bearings for Axles, of which the following is aspecification.

My improvement is directed to the production of an improved wear-sleevefor the axles of vehicles, and especially to provision for lubricatingthe wear-sleeve, the hub-box, and the axle-arm, and in the claimsappended hereto, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, Iwillpoint out the precise improvements. Y

Figure l shows the axle wear-sleeve in perspective. Fig. 2 is a sideview of the same, showing the oil-displacing plunger in the oilfeed slotin the wear-sleeve. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of `the sameincluding the wheel-hub and taken through the displacingplunger 17. Fig.4 shows the wear-sleeve in longitudinal section upon the axle-arm. Fig.5 is a cross-section of the same on the line of Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is across-section of the enlarged end of the sleeve on theA lines y y ofFig. 4, showing'V the spring for locking the oil-displacing plunger.Fig. 7 shows a plunger for displacing the oil from a feed duct or slotin the wear-sleeve, to `distribute the oil into pockets in thewear-sleeve, andfor sealing the feed duct or slot. Fig. 8 shows thewear-sleeve in longitudinal section with the oil-displacing plungerremoved. Fig. 9 -shows in end view the shouldered or enlarged end of thesleeve with the plunger removed.

' The axle has the usual. wheel-bearing arm 1, which joins theaxle by asquare'shoulder 2, while the hub of the wheel has the usual box oryskein 3 fixed therein upon a wearsleeve fl, which forms thebeariug forthe box and which its closely and has a iixed relation to the axle-arm,so that the wheel-hub has a freely-rotatable seating upon thewear-sleeve, which thereby takes all the wear from the axlearm,increases" its diameter, gives it greater strength, and renders it moredurable. At its inner or enlarged .end the bore or inner wall of thewear-sleeve forms `a square hole 5, Figs. 5, 8, and 9, to fit the squareof the axle-shoulder 2, Figs. 3 and 4E,

whereby the wear-sleeve is locked to the axlearm.

The hub and the wear-sleeve are secured upon the axle-arm by the flangednut 6, the action of which is to force the square shoulder 5 ofthewear-sleeve against the square end 2 of the axle-arm.

The inner end of the axle box or skein is enlarged, and this enlargementterminates in a recess within the hub-recess and has an annular recessforming a shoulder 7,terminating at the interior wall of the box, Fig.3, a concentric projection or collar 8, forming said recessiandoverhanging'sai-d shoulder?, and has also a circumferential shoulder 9,joining the outer wall of the collar 8 and back of the bottom ofthevrecess which forms 'the shoulder 7.

A sleeve to take the wear from the axle-armv and to form the fixedjournal for the hub-box is not new; but my improvement resides in aconstruction and in provision whereby oil is supplied to it by adisplacing-plunger to render its wear function more effective and moredurable not only as'to the sleeve itself, but as Yto the hub box orskeinand to the axle-arm.

Theinner end ofthe wear-sleeve is enlarged and is cylindrical, adaptedto vfitwithin the recess of thehub and formedwith an'annular space lOtoreceive the collarS on the hubbox. This annular space isform'ed by therim 11, the inner wall of whichforms a wearsurface on the outer wall ofthe collar 8. This rim-sleeve partll thereby forms a fixed wear part forthe hub, while thehub-box-collar part 8 forms a rotating wear part forthe hub, the collar part 8 and the rim part l1 lapping with each otherto form such wear parts. Cooperating with these lapping wear parts 8 andll thehub-box has an inner and an outer shoulder? and 9, which standatright angles to the lapping wear parts and against which the hub-box isset and secured by the axlenut 6.

The wear-shoulder '7 has a wearpackingring 7 within lthe recess androtating-with the sleeve 4, and this packing-ring,` the rim ll, and theshoulder 9 coact to rendereffective the close joining of the enlargedends of the hub-box and the wear-sleeve.

It is important to note that the telescoping ICO . springl is raised tofree the notch 21, as in dotengagement of the collar S of the hub-boxwith the interior wear-surfaces of the wearsleeve at their enlargedcoupled ends serves to give steadiness and firmness to the rolling ofthe wheel upon the fixed wear-sleeve.

As a means for lubricating the hub and axle wear parts the wear-sleeve 4has oil-receiving pockets 13 along its length, which open on the surfaceof the axle-arm and on the inner wall of the hub-box, as in Figs. 3 and4. These pockets are preferably disposed in staggered rows on the upperside of the wear-sleeve and also a row on the under side of the sleeve,as in Figs. 1,4, and G. Between these pockets the sleeve has a slot 1-1extending through the enlarged end, at which it opens, as shown in Figs.Sand 9. This slot passes under the ring-packing 7 and opens into theenlarged open end 15, Fig. 8, thereby forming an open way into which anoil-can nozzle can be introduced to inject oil through a hole 1G to fillthe slot 14 in the wear-sleeve, asin Fig. S. This slot, charged withoil, is not a feeder for lubricating the wear-sleeve; but the pocketsare for this purpose, and to transfer the oil from this slot I provide aplunger 17, exactly fitting the slot 14, and when pushed into it fromits enlarged end through the hole 1G will cause the displacement of theoil from the slot and force it into the pockets 13, from which therotation of the hub-box on the sleeve will have the effect of graduallydrawing the oil out of the pockets around the wear-sleeve and thebearingwall of the hub-box. This oil-displacing action of the plunger isbyits end 1S as itis driven into the slot 14, and when so driven in itsenlarged end l.) is formed to close the opening 15 in the enlarged endof the wearsleeve and seals it from dust.

The plunger is flat and in filling the slot is flush with thewear-surface and forms a part of the sleeve.

To retain the plunger in place and allow its quick and easy removal tocharge the slot, a spring-catch 20, seated in a circumferential groovein the rim 11 of the wear-sleeve, is adapted to engage a notch 21, Fig.7, in the enlarged end of the plunger and lock it in place.

To remove the plunger, the free end of the ted lines in Fig. 5.

I find it very advantageous to provide for the discharge of the worn-outoil, which by the constant friction on the wear-surfaces tends to hardenthe oil and to lessen its effectiveness. For this purpose a hole 22,Figs. L and 5,is made in the bottom of the rim 11, so that the residuumof the spent oil tends to work back to the enlarged end of the sleeveand under the collarS into the bottom of the recess 10 and out oftheopening 22. This recess 10 therefore serves to gather the spent oil andto receive the wear-collar 8 of the hub-box, the turning of which withthe wheel tends to work the spent oil from the i wear-sleeve ont overthe packing-ring 7 at the box-shoulder 7, and thereby give moreeffective lubrication to the wear-sleeve.

The wear of the axle-fastening nut will always give more or less endwisemovement of the wear-sleeve and the hub-box upon the axle-arm, and toreduce this wear the sleevepockets 13 and the oil-displacing slot 14:open on the axle-arm through the sleeve,and thereby the lubrication ismade effective on the inner side of the wear-sleeve on the axle-arm andon the outer sides of the wear-sleeve on the hub-box.

In Fig. 3 the usual hub dust-band 23 is seen as covering the enlargedend of the wearsleeve, and therefore covers the waste-opening 22, andwhile the dust-band does not prevent the escape of the oil it preventsthe accumulation of dust in the recess 10 of the wear-sleeve. Thedust-band also covers the opening 15 in the enlarged end of thewearsleeve which receives the enlarged end of the plunger-key andexcludes dust from entering at this opening which might otherwise enterthe recess 10 at the locked end 10 of the plunger-key.

I claim- 1. In a lubricating-bearing for axles and in combination withthe axle and the hub-box, a wear-sleeve fixed to the axle-arm, having anenlarged rimmed end telescoping with the inner end of the hub-box, andhaving a slot or channel extending through its enlarged rimmed end, andpockets on each side of the channel, and a plunger-key adapted forinsertion into the channel to displace the oil therefrom into thepockets and means for locking the key.

2. A self-lubricating hub-bearing comprising a sleeve interposedbetween' the hub-skein and axle-arm, to receive the wear, said sleevehaving a recessed enlargement engaging annular shoulders on the skeinand having a longitudinally disposed channel and stag gered pockets atintervals about its circumference, a plunger-key adapted to be insertedin the channel to displace the introduced oil and force it into thepockets, said key having at its outer end a head provided with adepression, and a circular spring on the sleeve enlargement engaging atone end the depression to lock the inserted key.

3. In a self-lubricating l1ub-bearing,a wearsleeve interposed betweenthe axle-arm and hub skein or box and provided with a longitudinal slotfor receiving a supply charge of oil, and oil-distributing pockets, theslot and the pockets opening on the axle-arm and on the inner wall ofthe hub skein or box, and means for displacing the oil from thecharging-slot into the distributing-pockets.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE THISTLIVOOD.

Vitnesses:

LEVI C. JACOBS, WILLIAM 1I. KNOX.

ICO

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